Over the years a number of flying insect traps have come into use. Insects are attracted to the traps by various attractants such as color, light and/or scent. The attracted insects are then captured and/or killed by various means. Various traps have used systems of baffles, fans, insecticides, glueboards, glue films, electrocution, heat lamps and liquids. Such traps did not provide a convenient means for identification of various insects, counting the total number of insects and determining the different kinds of insects within the total count and the number of insects of each kind.
While the production of food for human consumption in the United States has been regulated and has been considered quite safe, modern methods of hazard analysis are becoming applied to the production of food. The present effort at hazard analysis includes its commitment to "science-based decision making" that will improve food safety.
Pest control is a crucial component in the prevention of microbiological contamination. The hazard analysis quality standards and requirements for monitoring and record-keeping will enter the field of flying insect contamination and will affect pest management strategy. It is expected that food processing organizations will find their operations subject to monitoring and record-keeping. It is expected to be necessary to document infestation levels with insect catch counts to verify that critical levels are not being exceeded. Species-specific monitoring of insect contamination is expected to be required to permit pest management strategies to be most effective in limiting food contamination during the production, processing and storage activities.